Seven students from Westside schools placed in a recent mystery-story writing competition judged by the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District board members
and local writers.
Called the Betty Field Memorial Youth Writing Contest, there were more than 300 finalist entries. The rules required using the phrase, “walking down Tejon street.”
The Westside placers are:
11th and 12th grade - first, Parker King, Coronado High, “A Man's Best Friends”; second, Kyla Conway, Coronado, “A Tricycle Built For
You”; third, Daniel Netherton, Coronado, “John is Gone.”
8th grade - second, Jasmine Kemble, Holmes Middle School, “A Perfect Pink Pearl”; third, Jackie Alvarado, Holmes, “The Wrapper.”
7th grade - first, David Trinko, Holmes, “Not Always Right”; third, Maxwell Morrison, “The Murder in the Gumdrop Forest.”
6th grade - second, Laura McKibben, Holmes, “Mystery to Me.”
The seven will be among those honored at an awards ceremony Saturday, April 19 at Penrose Library downtown.
The first-place stories will be published in a Friends booklet, and the winning students receive cash and other prizes.

Four Washington Elementary students received trophies as well as tickets to the April 13 Denver Nuggets basketball game, after being judged highly for
their hoop skills in local and regional individual TriStar competition.
They are third-graders Amanda Johnson and Elias Solis, fourth grader Calahan Wright, and fifth grader Josiah Solis. Judging was based on an overall score involving
shooting, passing and dribbling.
The four will also get to compete in the Colorado/ Wyoming competition before the Nuggets game.
The initial competition at Washington was sponsored by the Westside Optimists Club, which regularly donates time to the school.